TONIGHT, MILWAUKEE PUBLIC
SCHOOLS REPORT MORE THAN 400
POSITIVE COVID-19 CASES IN THE
PAST TWO WEEKS AMONG STUDENTS
AND STAFF.
A MAJORITY OF THESE CASES ARE
AMONG STUDENTS, MANY OF WHOM ARE
UNDER 12 AND CANNOT BE
VACCINATED.
TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW
COVID-19 IS IMPACTING THESE
STUDENTS, WE TURN TO DR. JOSEPH
MCBRIDE, A PEDIATRIC INFECTIOUS
DISEASE SPECIALIST AT UW
HOSPITAL.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR
TIME.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO WHAT ARE YOU SEEING IN
CHILDREN WITH COVID INFECTIONS
IN TERMS OF NUMBER OF NEW CASES?
>> I THINK WHAT WE'RE SEEING
HERE IN MADISON AND THROUGHOUT
WISCONSIN AND THROUGHOUT THE
COUNTRY IN GENERAL IS MUCH LIKE
WHAT'S BEEN REPORTED IN
MILWAUKEE.
WE'RE SEEING INCREASED RATES OF
COVID-19 IN CHILDREN AND ALSO A
LITTLE BIT MORE INCREASED
SEVERITY IN SOME OF THE
ILLNESSES THAT ARE EXPERIENCED.
>> SO HOW CONCERNING ARE THESE
NUMBERS OF POSITIVE CASES BEING
REPORTED IN PLACES LIKE
MILWAUKEE AND, AS YOU SAY,
ACROSS THE STATE?
HOW CONCERNING IS THAT?
>> YEAH.
I THINK IT'S REALLY CONCERNING
FROM THE STANDPOINT OF, AS YOU
MENTIONED, THIS IS A LARGE GROUP
OF PEOPLE WHO ARE UNVACCINATED
AND THEN THEREFORE UNPROTECTED
AT THE SAME AMOUNT OF IMMUNITY
WHEN WE COMPARE IT TO ADULTS.
WHENEVER WE HAVE LARGE GROUPS OF
CHILDREN UNVACCINATED TOGETHER,
THERE WILL BE A RISK OF
TRANSMISSION THAT WILL BE HIGHER
THIS YEAR COMPARED TO LAST YEAR,
WHEN MANY OF OUR SCHOOLS WERE
CLOSED.
>> ONE THING THAT STANDS OUT IS
THAT YOU JUST SAID THAT THESE
INFECTIONS ARE ALSO PROVING MORE
SERIOUS IN THIS PEDIATRIC
POPULATION.
DESCRIBE THAT.
>> SO WHENEVER WE'RE DEALING
WITH AN INFECTION, THERE'S
ALWAYS A SPECTRUM OF ILLNESS.
SOME PEOPLE ARE ASYMPTOMATIC.
OTHERS HAVE MILD ILLNESS.
ON THE OPPOSITE END WE HAVE MORE
SEVERE ILLNESSES.
SO THE RATE OF MORE MODERATE TO
SEVERE ILLNESSES WITH SOME OF
THE MORE RECENT VARIANTS LIKE
THE DELTA, IS SKEWING TOWARD
MODERATE TO SEVERE AT A HIGHER
FREQUENCY THAN WE DID EARLIER IN
THE PANDEMIC.
>> WHAT OF BREAKTHROUGH CASES OF
OLDER, VACCINATED CHILDREN?
>> SO BREAKTHROUGH CASES ARE
CASES OF COVID-19 IN SITUATIONS
WHERE PEOPLE HAVE RECEIVED THE
COMPLETE VACCINE SCHEDULE.
AND WE SEE BREAKTHROUGH
INFECTIONS WITH EVERY TYPE OF
VACCINE THAT'S OUT THERE.
THANKFULLY, THE CASES ARE LESS
FREQUENT AND LESS SEVERE IN
GENERAL THAN THOSE IN THE
UNVACCINATED POPULATION AND
CHILDREN BETWEEN THE AGES OF 12
AND 18 WHO HAVE BEEN PROTECTED
ARE NO DIFFERENT THAN ANYBODY
ELSE.
WE CAN SEE BREAKTHROUGH
INFECTIONS IN THIS POPULATION.
>> AND SO OF THOSE WHO ARE NOT
GETTING THE BREAKTHROUGH, BUT
ARE THE POPULATION THAT IS
UNVACCINATED, ARE THESE PATIENTS
BEING ADMITTED IN ANY NUMBER TO
THE HOSPITAL?
>> YEAH.
OF COURSE.
WE DO SEE ADMISSIONS TO THE
HOSPITAL DUE TO COVID-19 IN
PEDIATRIC CASES AND WE DID SEE
SOME LAST YEAR AS WELL.
THERE IS A SLIGHT INCREASE IN
THE FREQUENCY OF SOME OF THESE
HOSPITALIZATIONS WITH SEVERE
CASES.
AS THE VIRUS CHANGES, SO DOES
OUR LEVEL OF ADMISSIONS AND
RESPONSE, A FURTHER REASON WHY
WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO GIVE OUR
CHILDREN IMMUNITY WHEN THE
VACCINE IS AVAILABLE TO THEM.
IN THE INTERIM, WE AS A
COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY ADULTS,
HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN IN
ORDER TO LIMIT THE SPREAD OF
COVID-19, VACCINATING OURSELVES,
MASKS OURSELVES AND OTHER
METHODS THAT ARE RECOMMENDED.
>> WHAT SHOULD PARENTS KNOW
ABOUT WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN THEIR
CHILDREN WHO MAY BECOME INFECTED
AND WHEN IT IS POTENTIALLY
SERIOUS?
>> YEAH.
SO ANY KIND OF RESPIRATORY
VIRUS, WHETHER IT'S DUE TO COVID
OR INFLUENZA OR RSV, WHICH HAVE
BEEN AROUND FOR YEARS, CAN CAUSE
A WIDE SPECTRUM OF SYMPTOMS.
THE CONCERNING THINGS INVOLVING
CHILDREN ARE BREATHING PROBLEMS,
HAVING A HARD TIME EATING AND
KEEPING DOWN FOOD, HIGH FEVERS,
BEING LISTLESS.
THESE ARE SOME OF THE SYMPTOMS
THAT PEOPLE SHOULD SEEK OUT
MEDICAL CARE FOR NOT JUST FROM
VOAFCOVID, BUT ANY RESPIRATORY
INFECTION.
>> HOW DO WE BALANCE KEEPING
KIDS IN SCHOOL AND KEEPING THEM
AND STAFF SAFE?
>> BOY, THAT IS SUCH A
CHALLENGING QUESTION AND I
MYSELF AM A FATHER OF TWO YOUNG
SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN.
MY WIFE AND I REALLY STRUGGLE
WITH THIS.
WE DO KNOW THAT IN-PERSON SCHOOL
IS IMPORTANT.
IT IS SOMETHING THAT CHILDREN
REALLY GET A BENEFIT OUT OF AND
THE CDC SCHOOL GUIDELINES REALLY
STRESS THIS.
OUR GOAL IS TO SCE KEEP CHILDREN
SCHOOL FOR LEARNING.
SO HOW DO WE BALANCE THIS IS A
CHALLENGE.
WE HAVE TO MITIGATE THE SPREAD
OF THE VIRUS.
BEST TECHNIQUES ARE MASK USE,
GOOD HAND HYGIENE, HAVING SOCIAL
DISTANCING, THE FOLLOWING THE
CDC GUIDELINES FOR SCHOOL
EDUCATION, WHICH ARE WIDELY
AVAILABLE AND FOLLOWED BY MANY
DISTRICTS AND OF COURSE THE BIG
THING IS VACCINATING THOSE WHO
ARE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE THE
VACCINE.
IF WE'RE ABLE TO GET OUR LEVELS
DOWN, THEN OF COURSE THERE WILL
BE LESS OPPORTUNITY FOR KIDS TO
BE INFECTED
>> ALL RIGHT.
WE LEAVE IT THERE.
DR. JOSEPH MCBRIDE, THANKS VERY
MUCH AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR
WORK.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR